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4/10/2001

This is in response to comments in the 4/9/2001 Update:

I am another new Fleet holder - I switched over all of my purchases to my Fleet card in Jan 2001. Have any Fleet card holders received their rebate this year? Is everyone having problems? Please keep us informed with the rebate situation.

I've still not received my Fleet rebate for the calendar year 2000, and I don't know anyone who has.

I contacted the Wall Street Journal yesterday on this matter, and was interviewed by reporter Joe Pereira. I understand a story moved on the Dow Jones Newswire today, though I haven't yet seen it. I'm told it included the Grapevine URL (http://www.creditcardgoodies.com/grapevine/), so traffic may pick up around here.

Today I was contacted by Tom Walsh, a reporter for the Boston Herald, who had seen the Dow Jones story and plans to do his own piece.

<chuckle> You're right about Fleet, but I have good news about a monthly rebate card. I've been using the Citgo Preferred Visa (http://www.anbcards.com/citgo/index.htm) which simply deducts 1% from each monthly bill, with a $40 a month maximum. There's no annual fee, and their customer service has been fine. The only downside is their lack of web access to one's account.

If I understand the Fleet Platinum card offer correctly, if you don't transfer a balance, then you only have 14 days between the billing date and the due date.

I checked the most recent statement for my Fleet Platinum Mastercard--the closing date is March 15 and the payment due date is April 11. That's just short of four weeks, which isn't a bad grace period. Now if Fleet would only pay the rebates owed. . . .

For you fleet guys, their are dozens of cards paying a straight 1% in merchandise and/or cash. The sooner you jump to a new account, the sooner you can start earning rewards from companies that will keep their word.

I suspect most of we "Fleet guys" already have other rebate cards, such as the 1% Citgo Visa mentioned above and the 1.5% American Express card. But thanks for the suggestion.

Here is a response from Fleet to an e-mail that I sent earlier this morning. Let's see what happens... From: "TIMMINS, RITA L" | Block Address | Add to Address Book To: CC: "WARNER, BRADFORD H" Subject: Fleet Platinum Rebate Card Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 16:00:10 -0400 I have been asked to respond to your e-mail to Terrence Murray and Bradford Warner. There was an unexpected delay in mailing rewards checks, and we sincerely apologize for the delay and related inconvenience. The checks were mailed today - 4/10/01. We appreciate your business and hope you accept our apologies. Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any additional questions or concerns. Rita Timmins Customer Relations rita_l_timmins@fleet.com (617) 434-9898

Your list of links includes GE Rewards with a phone number. That is great and should be manditory wit all others. These idiots make it so hard to do business with them. Just received rebate card from Associates National and found that its rewards 1% had to be spent at Ace Hardware. never told that and when applying by phone was not told that. Have cancelled that card. Star Financial (Wesleyan University 1% Credit) Each month cancelling rebate as of 5/1/2001 your link to Chase does not have any credit card info or phone number. Link to Fleet does not go to credit card and of course no phone number. Are these people so stupid that they pay for these sites and then put a wall infront of the customers?

Good news on Fleet rebates, maybe. I just got a call from someone in the office of the president of Fleet, in response to my letter to him. She said that the checks are being cut and mailed today, and "unavoidable delays", which she did not specify, caused the snafu. However, she said that accounts opened late in the year (after September 1) will have rebates held until next year, but since I opened my account close to September 1, and since I had a runaround, she will make sure that I get either the rebate or a credit, and I should have the rebate check next week. We'll see. I'm not holding my breath.

To the person who posted here on 4/8 and could not find the CASH card. First you must read!!!! If you still can't determine which card has great cash back then you need to read again or find another web site.

Someone said "The Principal" appears to have a great program. If you are telling us about a credit card, please give us more information like a web link, a phone number or the complete name of the card. Please let us know if you are a Fleet customer and have gotten your rebate money. Also if you can't pay your balance every month, then forget about the perks. Find the card with the lowest interest rate, and try to add any amount you can to your payment, even if it's only $1. I have been using Exxon Mastercard and Shell Mastercard that pay 1% back in gas credit on every dollar spent and even more for their own products. I do have a Fleet Visa, but due to the negative comments and the fact that I must incur over $8000 in charges within a year to obtain the 2% rebate, I may quit using it.

I'm a bit concerned over the Fleet rebate situation, but I really don't see the need to panic! Sure, they can CHANGE the terms but that would be from that point forth. I can't imagine some people got their rebate, while others didn't, so there is no choice (as far as collecting) but to be patient for a while. No, I don't work for Fleet, but I do think this big bank would have MAJOR problems in the form of a class action if they didn't eventually rectify the situation. Does anyone (or can anyone) believe that they really might be having problems (duh!) and aren't necessarily EVIL? BTW, I'm online with Fleet and, although they don't increase your CREDIT LIMIT back up by the amount of the payment for 10 days, they post the payment to your account a couple of days after it's sent (so it posts like any other credit card...)

4/09/2001

In reviewing recent comments, it appears there is little hope for those of us who are Verizon drop-outs (though we can breath a sigh of relief that we didn't sign up with Fleet!). No card seems to offer the monthly cash pay back that Verizon did; annual "rewards" seem to be the most one can hope for, and judging by the comments, those companies' math does not seem to agree with that of your commentators'. So the goose that laid the golden egg has been cooked and we go hungry. In the meantime, we'll all continue to follow promising leads and share the reults. Thank you for this site!

If I understand the Fleet Platinum card offer correctly, if you don't transfer a balance, then you only have 14 days between the billing date and the due date. That isn't much time, if you include post office time both ways. If you miss the date, there is $35 late charge, and a 2+% charge on the outstanding balance. On Amex, it has a sliding scale. Are ther enough places that take Amex (food, clothing, etc) to enable running the tab up high enough to get anything back?

The Principal appears to have a great program. Reps are friendly and rebates post with 45 days of end of quarter. If you folks start jumping over, please be nice and stay current, I don't want them getting ticked off at a bunch of winey card holders and closing down or selling the credit card company. If they make money and keep their cardholders current, then we can all enjoy a great rebate program. For you fleet guys, their are dozens of cards paying a straight 1% in merchandise and/or cash. The sooner you jump to a new account, the sooner you can start earning rewards from companies that will keep their word.

4/08/2001

Which credit card is the best deal for accruing dollars for buying a car?

Bell Atlantic Visa used to send a $20 rewards check which could be used on phone bills. Now that Verizon has borged Bell Atlantic, Chase (the administrator of the credit card program) is dropping the rewards checks. I'm now in the market for another rewards program that works. No need to keep the Verizon Visa anymore if it's not pulling its weight.

FYI: Just wanted to let you know, the Verizon (formerly known as Bell Atlantic) VISA will no longer be offering rewards as of 5/15/01. This is for the Philadelphia area+, and the phone # is 1-800-334-0613 for cust. service. Thanks for the info, I knew someone would be cool enough to have a free site on this stuff. I appreciate it, and will hook you up anytime I can.

Did not find much at your site. What I am looking for is a MasterCard or Visa credit card that... Gives cash back based on amount charged. Cash - not gas, merchandise, or travel discounts. Do you have any?

I have the AMEX Platinum cash rebate and have just got my anniversary rebate. I charged ~ 8000 and calculating based on their tiers and also on the phone with one of their reps. The rebate came out to 0.9 % (so much for the 2%)

I need to find a credit card that charges no fees and offers free upgrades (ie-airline tickets). Does anyone know of one?

In response to the query on getting out of debt, first order a free consumer credit report through www.experian.com/consumer/index.html. If you note any misreported information on the report write a letter and send copies of your supporting evidence to the credit reporting agency. If infact that you were negligent due to a divorce or medical condition, explain why you were late on a particular payment by adding a notation under the entry you wish to clarify and ask for the corrected copy to be resent to your home. Once, you have purified your credit history you can apply for a low interest for the life of the loan currently at 7.99% through http://www.pulaskibank.com. Pulaski bank will send you four credit balance transfer checks which will then lower your high 22% credit card rates with dual cycle and over the limit charges, like Discover and FIRST USA cards are known for charging. At this point DO NOT CHARGE any more on the credit card. Just put the card away and enjoy the low interest rates. You can calculate the number of months to pay the loan off at http://www.bankrate.com, and then switch to a credit card down the road that gives you creditcardgoodies, which is what this web site is all about!

Additional web resources to consolidate your current debts include http://www.myvesta.org or by phone 1-800-680-3328.

For all those people who think that Fleet Bank's signage is a set of waves or sails, think again. The signage can be looked at as SHARK FINS poking through the water.

Alright. All this talk about Fleet rebate problems is starting to make me nervous. I switched over all of my purchases to my Fleet card in January. Have any Fleet card holders out there received their rebate checks this year? Is everyone having problems, or just a few?

I've been following this thread for quite a while, (it helped me decide to get my Private Issue card with 2%) I've been looking for a good replacement since they down graded my accout. It doesn't look like any new 2% deals are going to anytime soon. So I'm thinking of going for Principalbank (credits the 1.25% rebate quarterly to your account at their bank) Anyone have any good or bad experiences with them yet?

The CEO of Fleet is: Terrence Murray, CEO FleetBoston 100 Federal Street Boston, MA 02110 If enough of us write him, maybe we can get our money.

Fleet execs e-mails FYI: Murray, Terrence CEO Terrence_Murray@fleet.com Warner, Bradford H. Vice Chairman, Consumer Business Group Bradford_H_Warner@fleet.com

Hi. I'm looking for a credit card that gives free mileage based on the amount charged, not based on the amount of the finance charge.

I have MBNA Platinum Plus Subaru Card. It is great if you own a Subaru. It gives you 3.3% back towards Subaru products or servicing ! I.E. you can use it towards the purchase or lease of a new Subaru, or even better, towards the serving and repair costs.You receive a $100 certificate for every $3000 spent. I just paid for my 15000 Miles service with these certificates !

Here is more info on Fleet card's continuing stream of lies and excuses why they are not sending out their promised annual rebates. I contacted them on 4/03/01 (this is about the 6th time so far this year) and the rep put me on hold for several minutes then said there is a problem and now they do not know when the checks will be mailed.

I have e-mailed complaints to government agencies here is the main agency the complaint office in Delaware told me would investigate such complaints/fraud:

Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
Customer Assistance Group

1301 McKinney Street, Suite 3710
Houston, TX 77010
Telephone: (800) 613-6743
E-mail: consumer.complaint@occ.treas.gov
Web site: http://www.occ.treas.gov/

Fleet is a nationally chartered bank and they are federally regulated by the office named above. Please direct your complaint to the addresses and phone number listed above.

For all you fleet folks, the previous suggestion to write the CEO is your best bet, but I would also send copies to the local BBB and the BBB in the City Fleet is headquartered. I am fairly certain that U.S. Treasury has an office that oversees Banks. I for the life of me can not remember, but if you contact them as well as your state government, they can probably generate a letter on your behalf. If all these stories on Fleet are true, you should have no problem getting a remedy, although it may take awhile. In the mean time start using other cards but keep your Fleet account open and current until resolved. The fella that wanted to work out of his high interest cards without CCC. There are numerous balance transfer options from cards that will allow you to transfer the balance. Once you get the balance on a low interest card, keeping paying down as much as you can as quickly as you can. HINT - most cards use an average daily balance method. The sooner they receive your payment the lower your average daily balance is and you will save interest in the long run. You can also send in supplimentry payments whenever you wish and not wait for a statement. Open another account for day to day expenses that you will pay off each month. If you are putting these items on the cards with balances, you will be paying interest on these charges even though you are paying off monthly. Look into home equity loan or consumer loans at your bank.

Dear "Stupid," Many of the rebate deals are not as good as they sound. I'm leary of one offering 3%. I bet there's an annual fee. And you may not earn 3% on your first few thousands of dollars of purchases each year. Another trick is to get your business by offering 1.50-2% as a come-on, then reducing the deal to .5-1% after a year or two, hoping you won't notice. So be prepared to change cards every year or two. As a veteran of all this stuff, my policy is to accept only a no-fee card, charge everything I can instead of paying cash, pay my full balance every month and not worry about what interest rate they charge. (A good credit rating is not a problem if you do all this.) But if you're going to play the rebate game, don't screw up! If you're late one time or miss one payment, they'll soak you. A typical "pretty good deal" is 1% with no fee and no limits, although you may get only 1/2% or so on your first few thousands in purchases each year.

4/02/2001

Fleet Rewards Sucks Fleet Rewards Fufillment Program. I achieved the 50,000 points level and called to get information about the JVC and Toshiba televisions. The customer service rep while nice did not have information about the model etc. I needed this information to make sure the unit would fit into my entertainment center. Finally, I managed to get a quasi description and some numbers and was able to use the internet to find out about the two models. I decided to go with the Toshiba Vega Model even though the unit was not listed in Toshiba's web site as a current and up to date model. I had a pretty good idea, of what I would be getting. I was pleasantly suprised when the unit showed up 10 days later(Jan31, 2001). I was extremely unhappy upon opening the box and finding the TV not in original packing and the screen broken in several places resulting in a rather nasty cut on my finger. I am a computer reseller and know how fagile products such as TV's or monitors should be shipped. The unit looked used and was packed in some loose pieces of styrofoam and loose packing peanuts. I called the fufillment center and expressed my displeasure and asked the manager(Annette ext 83508) to issue a call tag to pick the unit up. The fufillment center tryed to force me to pay for shipping to return the unit. Finally agreed to send call tag. Called back several times to find out when unit would be picked up and was told the warehouse had to authorize the call tag. Unit finally picked up around Feb 16. Unit delivered to warehouse on Feb 22nd at 12:46 PM. Called Feb 26th to find out when replacement would be shipped, advised by Kyle there would be a 4-6 week delay, I explained the situation and he said they would rush order it and expect it in 1-2 weeks. Called 03-13-01 to check on order, Alan advised he can't find the order, doesn't show any order placed, will call me back in 10 minutes. Called 03-14-01 to talk to Annette(Mgr.) she indicated she would call me back because HQ was i meetings, she actually called back this time(I had left many messages and my email address to be kept up to date-but never received a return call). She advised they would order the TV. Called 03-23-01 to check status- approval was granted to do a replacement just this morning from the warehouse, should ship in two weeks(order # 40339357). Called 04-03-01 - Unit not shipped yet. I really think that this has gone on long enough. My guess is the company Fleet hired to the the fulfillment makes is money on finding out of date merchandise the loosely meets the brochure description at the lowest cost and foisting it on the unsuspecting customer. Obviously, I am very unhappy with Fleet and the Fleet Rewards Program. Any ideas on who I could contact to help get this resolved.

I have a lot of credit card debt at very high interest rates. I am current on all accounts but am making no progress in paying down debt. I have talked to counseling services but if I work with them there is a chance of the card companies placing negative information on my credit report. I am in business and want to avoid that. Has anyone had success negotiating lower interest rates directly with the card companies? Any info on how to handle this debt would be appreciated. Thanks

Just received word that Star Financial Bank Card / Indian Wesleyan University Master Card is going to become part of MBNA America Bank and is discontinuing the 1% discount of charges per month in may.

Can anybody reply with the link or phone for the Citibank MC that pays 2% toward a vehicle purchase? I have looked everywhere and only found Citibank to be offering 1% with their Drivers Edge MC. The 2% Charter Drivers Edge MC from Citibank seems to be discontinued. If not, please tell where to find it. Thanks.

I just called Fleet credit card services again. The guy I spoke with said he had never heard of rebates, but he checked my account and said that he saw that I had called on March 14 and that they were researching a rebate for me, so evidently the information that I got last week that all customer service reps had been informed that the 6000 rebates would be mailed by April 22 is just another putoff. Meanwhile, the March 30 Wall Street Journal had an article quoting the CEO of FleetBoston as saying that they were going to have to reduce expenses to meet their profit forecast (I guess I know what that means). I plan to write the guy, Terrence Murray, CEO of FleetBoston, 100 Federal St., Boston, MA 02110. Incidentally, those of you who are thinking of withholding payment to cover the rebate need to reread the rebate terms agreement--it says that this is not handled like a billing error (meaning we can't withhold). Also, and more ominously, they reserve the right to change the terms of the program at any time, which includes termination, and this can affect earned rebates not already paid. So, they are within their rights to tell us that we will not get the money we earned. All they will lose is a few customers.

To all who have complaints about Fleet or any other card for that matter, if you write to the Chairman & CEO of the company complaining, things will move very fast. Get name and address from the web, sites like Yahoo Finance, and write them.

4/01/2001

I too am another victim of Fleet. Every time I call (starting with Feb. 15ths promise), they say the check is in the mail. I like the guy's idea of charging them a $29 late fee. I am seriously considering terminating this relationship with Fleet due to their constant bad promises, blaming it on the system, etc. If you think about it, it would be very easy to get the list of customers and their rebate amount off the mainframe system from a technological standpoint--but of course this is their excuse. Maybe they'll miss my bill next month too!

To clarify some on the Citibank Mastercard program. It still earns you 2% towards the purchase of your next vehicle. Also I have always received excellant service from Citibank.

I'm the credit-card stupid guy who addressed the grapevine most recently, so please be patient. I got an Associates National Bank Visa card in the mail; I have some questions about it (you don't necessarily need to put it on the grapevine, but please respond). This card offers a 3% annual rebate on net purchases (what's a net purchase), but all the fine print confuses me. It says that the maximum rebate I can earn is $20 per billing statement; $100 per calanders year. Does this mean the whole deal has a $3333 Cap? Is $100 dollars a decent or typical rebate? Have it in mind that I'm only earning about $16,000 a year; with that in mind, would I be better off with the Amex cash-back card you promote? I checked out the Amex card. They've moved the prime rate up to 18.49%; should I be worried and/or if I pay all my bills on time, will that even effect me? What does a minimum finance charge entail? I appreciate your web site and suggestions and I would appreciate your further input.

Hi- I'll admit that I am credit card stupid; in fact, I only own a lousy visa check card that doesn't benefit me at all. I want to find a credit card that will 1. help me start building a good line of credit 2. have some sort of substantial rebate that will count towards one of my interests (i.e. outdoor recreational gear, books, drums, audio type electronics, or subaru automobiles). 3. I plan on using it to make all my purchases and paying this card off monthly. 4. has minimal fees and low interest. Is there such a card out there, or am I just day-dreaming??

I'm am searching for a card that will reward the purchase of a new vehicle. I have seen the GM card ect. but it puts a cap of $1500.00 that can be applied at time of purchase.

The cards that double the manufacturers' warranty (up to one year) come directly from either Mastercard of Visa -- not the the financial institution that issues the credit card. You need to ask your credit card issuer for the telephone number of either Visa or Mastercard and then ask those people how to apply for a warranty repair reimbursement.

Answer about GM Master Card: Yes 5% max of 500 earned per year for 7 years. It is great! We have used it for years and saved sometimes 2 and 3k on a vehicle! :-) Haggle for the lowest price and then when you have the price you want, tell them sold and to use your rebates from your GM Master Card. They will handle everything for you. Only catch is, you can't use this 5% with a discount from a family member working for GM (option 1).

Fleet Titanium MasterCard appears to be in a mode of telling waiting rebate recipients lies. I have the 2% rebate account and I accrued about $490 credit in 2000 which was to be paid by 2/15/01. I have been told 1. they were delayed and the checks would be out by 2/28. Then I was told by 3/5 then ... then ... the most recent one said the checks had an extreme delay but they were all sent between 3/4 & 3/18 and they typically take 7-10 days to get through the mail...as of 3/27 nothing has come. Does anybody know any recourse or is Fleet going down the tubes...are people at risk using their card in so that purchases do not actually get paid? my email is rmarsh1957@aol.com.

Fleet now allows online payments at their website. The fine print says that they reserve the right to charge a fee for this service, but there appears to be no fee at this time. Click on Ease ePay while logged in to your account. Still can't make online payments at Chase (Shell Mastercard).

More on Fleet rebate: I just called again and was told by the customer service rep that they were told yesterday the checks would be mailed April 22. She said in the same breath that they were supposed to go out by Feb. 14, and no one has told any of the reps why the checks are so late. She said there must be some really big problems. I asked her whether she thought I would get my check, and she said that she hoped so, but the implication is that we shouldn't hold our breaths.

The National City Cashbuilder credit card seems to have just changed its cashback reward. The other day, it offered a flat 1% rebate. Now, there's a tiered rebate: .25% for the first $2500 spent; .50% for the next $2500; then 1%.

3/27/2001

Does anyone know of a credit card that treats balance transfers as a "purchase" without any transaction fee? (such that a blanace transfer would enjoy a grace period if the account began the period with a zero balance). Thanks in advance.

Need some help... And boy do I need it bad! We needed a new laptop and knowing that such a large purchase was going to be made we switched credit card companies to one that offered to double the manufactures warranty. Now that the unit needs some repairs the credit card company says they never had such a service. The credit card was Fleet National... Any suggestions?

I can't seem to find a web site or number for the Fleet Rewards Visa. Could you tell me how to contact them for an application. PS:I have the Amex cash back card and the BellSouth MC. The BS is the one I want to replace.

I'm looking for a new credit card. I passed up Fleet, based on comments on this web site. Instead, I took a Discover card offered at http://www.eyeoncredit.com/cash_back. Supposedly you get a $20 sign-on bonus (we'll see). But I'm not going to keep it. My plan was to double my 1% annual cash-back to 2% by converting most of it to Omaha Steak coupons, since we buy a lot from Omaha anyway. Now I find out, the most you can double at Omaha is $20 a year ($40 off a meat order). I think I'll take the Citgo card offered at the same eyeoncredit site. Sounds simple: 1%, credited to your account each month. And the Citgo deal will probably last for a while (not too good to be true).

As a retired military officer, I'm a member of USAA (United Services Automobile Association), but you don't have to be a member to get their credit card. They are without question the most honest, reliable & efficient banking organization you could possibly deal with. The card I took from them last summer has no annual fee (at least for me) and pays 1%, which is credited to my account each month -- very simple, immediate ungimmicky. But my rebate deal ends after one year, at which point I will drop the card. If you have an annual fee, your rebate may continue forever, I'm not sure.

3/24/2001

I should have mentioned that I have a TD Waterhouse Securities MasterCard with a 1% cash rebate that they are converting to a free stock trade up to $45 (on-line trade only costs $12) for every $2,000 spent as of March 31.

I found a minor error in your Fleet Cashback chart. The dollar value for $5,999.01-$7,999 should be $20.00. I charted a comparison between your three recommended cards in $k increments which you are free to use if you wish.

check out the new aol visa rebate...1 point per $ spent. 2200 pts/mo pays your aol bill of $21.95... what are your thoughts?

I, too, am one of those trying to find a replacement for the soon-defunct Bell Atlantic (Verizon) card. Someone here recommended the Citi Dividend Platinum, which has a 1% rebate. The catch, though, is that you don't get a rebate check until your dividends reach $100. In other words, you don't get anything until you've spent $10,000. From the Web site, it wasn't clear whether your dividends expire at the end of the year or carry over to the next year.

Someone else recommended the National City card, which has a 1% rebate distributed every December, regardless of amount. This seems better for those of us who don't have huge credit card bills. Does anyone know of any other cards with a flat 1% cash rebate?

Yet another voice to wail the demise of the former Bell Atlantic rewards credit card. My observation has been that anything that Verizon gets involved in goes down the tubes. This is a helpful site and after having spent some time looking for a replacement card to my Chase/Verizon Visa it looks as if Citibanks Dividend card will be the most convenient ie I don't have to open a bank account with them, or spend my rewards at a designated company. I was tempted by Fleet but your comments have deterred me from applying to them!

Does anyone know if the Citibank Platinum Dividend Mastercard has a time limit for accumulating the $100 minimum necessary to be sent a rebate check, or can you use an indefinite amount of time to accumulate enough dollars to be sent a $100 check (like more than a year)?

I am another verizon refugee. For those of you who are eligible, USAA offers a rebate program of 1% cash back - I've requested that they mail me the details of the program (I always want to see it in writing). It doesn't appear to have a cap, but the catch is a high annual fee ($48 per year). When I get the paperwork, I'll post it. Great site.

What an excellent site! Thank you. Now that Verizon is severing its relationship with Chase (I imagine too many of us were making out like bandits with the 2%off our phone bills!), I am looking for a good cash-back deal, preferably monthly rather than annually. I pay off my balance monthly so annual precentage rates don't matter to me. Thanks again for this forum.

Fleet still has not sent me the $261 rebate I earned during 2000, and I've heard similar complaints from other Fleet rebate cardholders. It was supposed to have been mailed on Feb. 15. When I called in late February, I was told there was "a problem with the rebate checks" but that they would definitely be mailed on March 15. (They refused to say what the "problem" was.) I just called again, and they told me the checks would be going out on March 31. I'll believe that when I see it. They seemed highly insulted when I suggested they owed the same $29 late fee they charge cardholders who are late with their payments. This company seems on thin ice, and I wonder if those of us who are owed rebates are going to find ourselves "unsecured creditors" when Fleet files for bankruptcy.

3/21/2001

Just got my new MBNA Cruise Rewards card to replace my MBNA Carnival Rewards card. New terms state that your max discount is $800 per cruise. Max rebate earned per 12 months is $500 at a spending level of $25,000. Rebate is valid for use for up to 2 years, then rebate value expires on a monthly basis (oldest first). The Carnival deal was better -- more rebate for less spend -- but this deal is OK too.

The GM Card is available with 5% earnings on credit card purchases. The rewards can be saved for discounts on selected GM cars or used for air travel, auto rental, OnStar accounts, etc. website http://www.gmcard.com or phone 1-800-947-1000.

GE Rewards is not 2% back, it's 1.4% average if you max out to $10k for the year (2% on the last $4k).

3/17/2001

Just saw some info on the GM card with 5% rebate. Does anyone know if it is still available? Also who knows of the best cash back card if spending more than $5O,000?

Would like to know, which credit card offers the lowest fixed interest rate.

Whatever happened to everyone talking about the GE Rewards card? It seems like it fell off the face of the earth to everyone here. The terms have not changed for me and it's a helluva card still. ...and NO, I have never gotten charged the $25 fee everyone has been worried about with it. 2% cash back on this MasterCard is still nice for me from it.

3/13/2001

Just received in the mail an application from Elite Rewards Platinum Plus Visa. No cash rebate, but a point for a dollar for any major airlinen, hotels, rental cars, restaurants, etc. Anyone know anything about them?

The way I understand the Amex card, if you carry a balance in order to get the 1/2% extra rebate, Amex would charge you 1 1/2% interest for that month on your entire balance, even if you paid the full balance less 1 cent!

The First National Credit Card is basically a scam. You pay $43 to get a credit account (not a Visa or MasterCard) with a reseller (similar to Fingerhut). You then pay exorbitant prices for the merchandise and 25% of that price upfront. It's worth staying away from. Some have not even received their cards.

Re: Secured Card: First Union has a good secured card program that you can find on their website at: http://personalfinance.firstunion.com/pf/cda/ps/product_article/0,2954,141_391,00.html I think it's unrealistic to try to get points or other stuff from a secured card, what you want is reasonable fees and for them to definitely report your activity to the credit bureaus so you can try to (re)build a credit history. They gave me a $1000 credit line with a $500 deposit (I had a cosigner too) even though I had defaulted on student loans and had multiple credit card delinquencies.

i consider 1st usa to be crooked. their policy, 2-3 years ago, to not process written change of address forms ( they told me that over the phone) cost me $50+ and i will not do business with them. your site is useful, i won't take the new waterhouse-1stUSA card due to the above.

> Do they give you the extra 0.5% on the $100 you originally owed, or do they give you an extra 0.5% on the penny (which is nothing)?

The way I understand it is that you would get the extra 0.5% on the full $100, but you would also pay interest on your full balance next month (the grace period would be waived since you didn't pay in full).

Thanks for your very interesting site. It's been a real learning experiance. While I know the principles are international in nature I was wondering if you had any insight on the cards that would be available to a Canadian. Or would you know of an objective site that you could send me that would compare credit cards available to credit worth individuals in Canada? Thanks for your assistance and keep up the good work!

Several answers for different postings on 3/12/01. To the gal who got the credit offer: trash it unless you and your husband have extremely poor credit! Most of us pay our bill off each month so, even with 0% interest for 12 mos, the most you can get for that $1500 in the bank is approx $38 ($1500 x 5% - $37) There are so many other offers out there (try cardtrak or bankrate.com) that are 0% or close to it W/OUT a membership fee! To the FF fanatics that like their cash reward card slightly better ~ there's a NorthWest Airline Visa out that has NO FEE and offers 3000 miles for signing up. The catch is you only earn 1 mile per $2 but there's another promo running right now by NWA that will net you 10,000+ miles. Go to www.frequentflier.com 's forum and search for a message entitled "When did they start with NW promo?" and read the thread as it will describe how to get a free ticket pretty quick (and then keep on truckin' with your cash back card if you like)...To the person who asked for credit cards who offer unlimited miles; try american express for details on linking up an eligible AMEX card to their Membership Rewards program (the cash back isn't one of them). Some cards are free to link up while others will be $40 but you can convert to a dozen different airlines and it has unlimited earnings... On the AMEX cash back 0.5% extra ? ~ leave a penny and they will finance charge you for the whole amount (and probably only give you the extra % on the penny to boot!) Hope this helped...

I called to sign up for a Fleet cashback Visa. I ask not to be put on solicition list. I was told, I would be place on it if I want their card. And to get off the list for unsolicited offering you have to mail away to a paper address and it will take 6-8 weeks to be off the list. I did not sign up. Is their a way to keep your name off the list when you sign up?

3/12/2001

My husband has been offered a First National Credit Gold Card. The offer states guareenteed approval with credit line of $1500. Please remit a onetime $37.00 membership fee/0 interest for first 12 mos. (The address is in Aliso Viejo Ca.)Is this a good offer or not?

I'm in need of a list of sub-prime credit card issuing banks...preferrably the largest 20 or 25. I'm attempting to sell a cc receivables portfolio and establish a marketing affiliation as well. Any ideas where I could go to get a list and the stats on big sub-prime issuers? Thanks for any assistance in advance!

I have about $5,000 worth of GM earnings that are starting to expire. I don't want or need a new car, what I need is a way to convert those credits into real money. The other options with outside retailers through GM only give accept about 10% GM cash towards the purchase. Any way I can unload GM dollars for the real thing?

Re: Alaska Air credit card 2% transaction fee for use in foreign currency: The transaction fee is charged by the financial institution, not by Visa or MC. MBNA does not charge transaction fee if you used you card abroad for purchases. Check if MBNA offers any airline mileage credit card.

On the Frequent Flyer Points section you reference the Amex Sheraton Card - (As an aside, I know you hate points vs cash, but this card is clearly the best point card I've ever carried). FYI, it is now called the Starwood Preferred Optima card, and it (historically, but this may change soon) gives you Gold status with all Starwood hotels (Sheraton, Westin, Four Points, etc.), there's no fee, and airline miles convert with a bonus (20k points convert to 25k miles), so I think your airline miles fans would almost have to be crazy to carry any other card (except for the obvious Amex acceptance issues). Also, I love the Ptgraph feature (I think that's what you called it), but you might think about incorporating an even more interesting, simple decision tool - For example, you could define strategies for people who plan to charge x,y,z dollars per year. The reason this gets interesting, and that the PtGraph falls short, is that some attractive programs cap out relatively quickly. Consequently, there should be strategies that combine two or three cards together (depending on total expected spending) to max the total return for the given spend level. I haven't run the numbers, however, and it may be the case that the only area where this becomes a real interesting possibility is in the huge volume >100k/year realm, where most of your visitors will never reach.

One more question, who do you feel is the best secured credit card? and is there one that earns miles?

Hi! Great site. I am wondering if yiou can give me the names (2-3?) of visa/mastercard issuers that allow unlimitedamounts of miles to be earned each month. some companies have a monthly limit. any help is appreciated. thnaks!

A friend of mine showed me a credit card he had that gives 5% of all payments towards the purchase of a new General Motors car. How can I find out about it? Thanks

I have a question regarding Amex cash rebate. It says that they give you an extra 0.5% if you carry a balance. Let's say you owed $100 on your statement and paid $99.99 and left a penny for balance. Do they give you the extra 0.5% on the $100 you originally owed, or do they give you an extra 0.5% on the penny (which is nothing)?

More on why Fleet sucks. They offer a rebate check and then place a hold on checks over $1,000. What kind of a moron would get a rebate card and then charge less than $1,000 a month on it? The Fleet card doesn't kick in above 1% until $7,000 or so, so if you don't charge much why bother? Putting a hold on checks for customers who have never bounced a check is Fleet saying "screw you" to their customers.

3/5/2001

The National City Cashbuilder VISA card (http://www.national-city.com/personal/creditcard/cashbuilder.asp?) claims "Earn up to $1,000 cash back every year from your everyday purchases. Your annual rebate check is included with your December statement, just in time for holiday shopping." No annual fee, 1% cash rebate up to $1,000 per year, 25-day grace period. Sounds good. Has anyone here had experience with it?

My Alaska Air (SeaFirst/BofA) VISA began charging a 2% "Currency Conversion Adjustment Fee" on normal VISA transactions outside the US. Since I travel outside the US extensively, this fee hits hard and I closed the account.

I am now finding that most VISA/MC issuers have adopted the same policy. I am looking for a VISA/MC that does not chrage this fee and still gives airline miles.

Any Suggestions?

I travel extensively overseas and am looking for an Visa/MC card that will give me airline miles but will not charge me a currency conversion fee for normal purchases outside the US. My Alaska Airlines (SeaFirst/BofA) Visa started charging a 2% fee on all foreign purchases on 2-01-01 and I have cancelled that card. I have excellent credit and spend from $25-30,000 per year on the card. Any suggestions you have would be most welcome.

This is a terrific site. I put it as a Favorite as soon as I saw it! I too, am a Bell Atlantic (now Verizon) Visa holder. I guess too many of us were taking them to the cleaners!!! These are 4 lists I saw. If you have a comment please let me know. Remember fellow BA holders, we have another month I believe! Amex Platinum rebate - 1.5 on the month you pay back, 2% overall. 800-628-2244 Sony / Citibank - rebates on their equipment. 800-748-SONY Amoco Assoc Nat'l Bank - 3% rebate of Amoco gas, 2% other purchases. 800-462-6626 Exxon Direct Merchants Bank 2% rebate of Exxon gas 1% other purchases. 800-554-6914 Please let me know what you think. We must band together!!

From what I can tell, the Citibank Driver Edge card returns only a 1% cash rebate toward the purchase of a car, not 2%, as was once offered.

More on Fleet: (1)I still don't have my rebate check. Customer service says that they have had "problems" and expect to mail the checks out about a month late--this is a large bank, so I assume they have the money, but who knows. I pointed out to the customer service rep that I was supposed to have the check by Feb 15, but of course that's the way it goes. (2) They sent me something saying that they are amending the credit card agreement to require binding arbitration rather than allowing class action lawsuits--evidently someone is threatening to sue them over past actions. I have nothing against arbitration--from everything I have read class action lawsuits get most of the money for the attorneys--but this indicates something is happening. (3)For the person who complained about the 7-10 day hold on payments, I asked about it when they first did this to me and was told that checks over $1000 have the hold placed, but cardholders can have the bank on which the check is written contact them and Fleet will lift the hold more quickly. I did not do this, but discovered that after I had a two-month history of no bounced checks, the hold on my checks did not take place any longer. Somehow I think they want customers who pay. I do wish they would give me the rebate I have earned and I do wish there were a way to pay my bills online like Discover and GM Card allow--maybe one of these days.

3/3/2001

Check out the Citibank Driver Edge card. Purchases earn 2% cash rebate toward the purchase or lease of any new car. $500 annual rebate limit and the rebates expire 3 years after they're earned. This is a good card for people who buy or lease a car every 3 years.

I'm thinking of applying for a Fleet Visa. Questions: 1. Do I understand right that rewards are on a CALENDAR year basis? In other words, if I start in April I won't get a full year's use before getting cash back? 2. Has anyone had problems such as erroneous late fees or finance charges on their Fleet Visa bill? 3. I hate to admit this, but who the hell is Fleet? A major bank? Can I trust them?

I have a Fleet cashback Visa. For about two weeks now, Fleet has been calling my home number every other days making unsolicited offering (balance transfer ...etc). Anyone experienced the same thing??? After I complained to customer service, I was told that it will take 6-8 weeks to be off the ok-to-call list. Unbelievable!!! The frequent unsolicited calls are annoying enough for me to think about canceling the card after the next billing cycle.

FLEET WARNING: I signed up fr Fleet's 2% cashback card, and I've been charging up to my limit and paying it off each month until I reach the $30,500 ($500 cashback limit). Watch out -- they now have a new policy of putting a 7 - 10 hold on all payments you send in -- so a week after you've paid off the balance you get declined. Anf good luck calling customer service, they are useless (and there is no email adrress you can use (we do not recieve email at Fleet". They suck. I just opened a 1.25% cashback card with Principal, and once I get my card I'll be dumping b.s. Fleet.

Nice site, I found it through a Google search for 'credit card rebates'. The reason I searched was that I have a Visa card from Bell Atlantic which gave me a 1% rebate on all purchases, and 2% on my Bell Atlantic phone bill, and 3% on my Bell Atlantic wireless service ( which I did not have ). There was no limit, however rebates were only applicable to my Bell Atlantic phone bill. This was not a problem since my phone bill was always greater than my rebates. Now, with the Bell Atlantic merger into Verizon, they are doing away with this credit card program, so I am looking for a new rebate card and your site was a great start ! Thank you !

My husband and I have a MBNA Carnival Cruiseline Visa, which gives back 4% of your purchases made in cruise currancy. They allow you to accumulate up to 500 points ($500 in cruise currancy)in a year time period. Now, MBNA has informed us that they are making things better for us by cutting our rate from 4% to 2% (how is this better is the question I have). However, when I was booking a cruise with Carnival the other day, the booking agent told me that Carnival was making a deal with another credit card and it was going to be better than the MBNA program. He couldn't give me any details because he said it hadn't been announced yet. Does anyone know anything about this?? Please let me know!

I am among those notified that my Verizon (formerly Bell Atlantic) card was being discontinued May 15 (with a $10 and $5 bonus along the way). So I am looking for another cash rebate card. Thanks for the info on this site, and for this message board. I want a card that is good most anywhere, which rules out Citi, AMEX, and Discover. (Discover's rebate is low, anyway.) The best deals look like Fleet's graded scale (.25 - 2%, max $500/yr) and Principal's flat 1.25% unlimited. That give a crossover (Principal to Fleet) annual purchase amount of $14666.67, not counting the difference in compounding and risk (see below). I haven't found any better deals on the web.

Fleet (Delaware based) pays annually with a rebate check (I think on your anniversary). But looking at Fleet's terms, they have the right to make any changes without even informing you! They could drop the plan before paying the rebate. Does anyone know how long the plan has been in effect, and whether they have been paying the rebate? (I noticed someone else wrote here remarking that he had not received the rebate due him.) (BTW, I notice that the Fleet Cashback chart Dollar Value is cumulative, while the others are shown for the rebate category.)

Principal (Des Moines, Iowa) credits the rebate quarterly to your account at their bank. Their minimum savings balance is $250, paying 3.8% APY, and they also have a Assured savings paying 5.25% APY for same minimum. I don't know if there are any other requirements for the higher rate.

For those looking for sign up bonus checks, http://www.billcenters.com/rebates/ has offers on a number of cards, and http://www.gomez.com/ also has some (and a bonus for referring friends). They had the $75 bonus on signing up for a WingspanBank card, but I don't see that offer any more. Howeever, I don't see any good rebate cards offered with a sign up bonus.

We have been searching the web for a credit card that offers cash rewards toward purchasing a new car. I have looked into the Driver's Edge by Citibank but we'd have to spend a fortune to get back a small reward. Help!

I still don't have my Fleet rebate either. I had the same problem with Discover last year, it took me about 6 calls and 2 months to get my rebate check! They said my first one must have been lost in the mail (I had a hard time believing that). That's why I really like American Express, they credit your rebate to your Feb. statement, I just got almost $300 credited. Sometimes I believe some of these companies hope a lot of people will forget about or give up trying to get their rebate money so they can keep the $$$$$ (or maybe I'm being cynical?)

Does anyone know a Mazda car dealer in the Kentucky, Ohio, Tenn area that will accept an American Express credit card purchase of a new car.

I just applied for Citi® Dividend Platinum Select® Card. Here is what it offers: You will receive a rebate calculated as 1% of your net monthly purchases (total purchases less credits and returns). You may accumulate a maximum of $300 Dividend Dollars in any calendar year, payable in $100 checks. No annual fee. Sounds like the best deal in a long while!!!

http://www.citibank.com/us/cards/cardserv/divplat/

2/27/2001

I am also saying goodbye to the TD Waterhouse card in March. Does anyone know of another cash-back Visa program? I guess I'm spoiled.

I signed up for the Fleet Rebate card in late August after learning about it here. The rebate terms, according to the agreement I received when I got my card, said that I would have my annual rebate within 45 days of the end of the calendar year, meaning Feb. 14. I still don't have it. I called Fleet last Friday and they said they were "running a little late". Sounds ominous. Does anyone know anything about this? Has anyone received the rebate this month?

Great site! I didn't realize there were so many cheapskates like me out there! For years I tried to persuade Money & Kiplinger's to provide more useful info on cashback cards. Currently I use my USAA MC for most purchases. It credits 1% directly to my account each month, but that deal ends (completely!)1 Jul 01. After that I'll take one of the cards mentioned on your site. I also use a Kroger Visa, which pays in coupons they mail you upon request, after you've earned a certain number of "points." These coupons are redeemable at certain merchants. By using all my coupons at the Olive Garden, where we like to eat anyway, I get 1% back on all purchases (some merchants return only 5/6% on Kroger's Visa). By using my card only for puchases at Kroger(gas & groceries), I earn double points. Bottom line: 2% back, for a few $1000 spent a year at Kroger, redeemed at the Olive Garden. We still have our LL Bean card too. True, it pays only .5% now, but we still get free shipping from LL Bean when we use it there, so we use it only for LL purchases.

I know many of us love the 2% Fleet Visa card but a small warning. I like to get bonus money from online gambling sites, never betting my own money but winning (or losing) only theirs. I'll frequent the sites that say there's no fee for depositing and have never had the credit card charge me any. Well, no more! Fleet charges a 4% cash advance fee and then interest on top of that for what they call a "quasi-cash" advance. Nevermind that all the money gets credited back (does anyone know of cash advances that are able to be charged back?) or that some casinos got thru without being identified as such. And complaining to a supervisor yields no results (this is not Discover-like customer service company) Beware!

Please continue to the grapevine archive of this continuing Saga!